3 PPC strategies that are no longer valid and what to replace them

This article is sponsored by Adzooma. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the initiator.

Managing successful paid media campaigns requires a synergy between your brand needs and the participation rules of a particular advertising platform.

For a long time, the rules of engagement have not changed.

However, in the past few years, some of the most obvious PPC strategies have become obsolete.

In addition, new obstacles, such as movement delays Automatic rejection, Has shown himself.

These changes have brought new challenges to the previously reliable old technology.

It is important to understand which rules have changed and which rules will continue to affect the success or failure of the campaign.

Here are three PPC strategies that no longer apply:

• Bid on every keyword for every match type.
• Manually bid on large spending accounts.
• Remarketing based only on website visitors.

Let us break down why these strategies are no longer sustainable, and understand how to adjust your methods for better profits and greater success.

Don’t: bid on all keyword variations. Do: bid for keyword titles.

In the past (when AdWords and Bing Ads appeared), advertisers needed to bid on all variations of keywords.

If you want to acquire potential customers for dog training customers, you need to bid on individual keyword variations, such as:

• “Hound Trainer”
• “Dog training”
• “Train my dog”
• “My Dog’s Coach”
• There are a lot more.

In addition to these individual keyword bids, advertisers also need to use multiple matching types to influence how closely or loosely the query matches the keyword syntax.

In 2016 and 2017, close variants began to dominate; the need to bid on each variant has become obsolete. Account structures that thrive on thousands of keywords are beginning to experience budget allocation and performance issues.

Previously focused on match-type campaigns and ad groups, Instead of a strategic goal, efficiency is lost. These old practices no longer provide the same return on investment.

How to bid for keyword champions

Successful advertisers no longer stick to old practices, but turn to Keyword Champion (Used to capture a variant of all keyword concepts) to indicate all the variants they wish to capture.

Keyword champions are effective because they:

• Can help you save money. Choosing a cheaper variant will sometimes get you a more expensive variant, so you don’t always promise to pay a premium.
• Remove time-wasting steps that don’t provide value. There are no close variants of negative keywords, so perfect protection of each keyword is neither profitable nor practical.
• Ensure that a higher percentage of ads lead to conversions. They allow the budget to be focused on the strategic goals of the campaign, rather than supporting many keywords that may not be delivered.

To bid on the keyword champion:

1. Limit your ad group to no more than two to three keyword concepts about exact match.
2. At least one ad group with a single long-tail broad match keyword to expand your campaign and capture ideas you might not have thought of targeting.
3. Convert exact match keywords into negative keywords in broad match ad groups.

Using the original example, we will bid on:

• Exact match (capture all original variants): “dog training”/”dog trainer”
• Broad match keyword: “dog handler prices near me”
• Generate high-value exact match queries in a statistically significant way

By following this strategy, you will get rid of the problem of keyword inflation and ensure that your campaign can achieve the desired results while complying with the current rules of engagement in the advertising algorithm.

Don’t: Use inefficient manual bidding. Do: Use automatic bidding.

As a marketer, one of the hardest things to do is to let go. We are born to want to know every detail of our budget and how to apply it.

This clear sight may be why so many marketers insist on manual bidding for so long (Not conducive to their campaign).

In the past, manual bidding performed better objectively because advertisers could use their business acumen to set reasonable bids without restrictions, such as conversion rate requirements.

At the time, Smart Bidding was an automated bidding that required 50-100 conversions within 30 days to function meaningfully. This is no longer the case.

Today, these minimum standards have been greatly reduced or completely disappeared. The biggest obstacle to using automatic smart bidding has been removed, making it one of the more profitable bidding techniques.

In addition, micro-management of bids for accounts with more than one or two campaigns can take too much time to be profitable.

How to use automated bidding to increase profits

To see the maximum return on your PPC activity:

1. Incorporate automatic bidding into your strategy. Automatic bidding utilizes more than 60 signals to manage bids; manual advertisers cannot use or access these content.
2. Implement scripts and rules. These can be effective ways to maintain a certain degree of control while still taking advantage of automation.
3. Use time-saving workflow tools to get you involved in the process. Adzooma opportunities with automation Allows accounts of all sizes to effectively manage bidding and other account maintenance without the need to completely transfer control.

If you are ready to experiment with automation, consider using maximum conversions with a CPA goal or a target impression share with a bid cap to teach yourself/your team which auction prices are reasonable.

Don’t: Do annoying remarketing. Do: engage in a mutually agreed dialogue.

One of the oldest tricks in digital marketing books is to follow up with people who visit your website but haven’t made a purchase.

Remarketing traditionally targets all non-converters who interact with your website.

These visitors will receive dynamic ads (showing products based on shopping feeds) or follow them on the web for display and search ads.

The privacy-first network is increasingly prominent, And the importance of constructing first-party data.

Getting users to visit your page is not enough-there must be enough content to justify providing you with their information.

How to conduct a mutually agreed dialogue

Connecting with users who interact with you in a purposeful and mutual way is more likely to lead to conversions.

To increase your PPC campaign conversions:

1. Capture first-party data. Try to build an email capture experience in your login page. Email addresses and other first-party data provided directly to you have a higher chance of conversion.
2. Build an audience from the first-party data you curate. These tend to perform better than website visitors. This makes sense because customers choose to interact with you instead of accidentally adding themselves to your list.

takeout

In the long run, using the old strategy just because it is comfortable will eventually damage your campaign and brand.

Make sure to automate as much as possible to save strategic energy for tasks that require more attention.Tools like this Azuma Can help make this easier.

Although nothing is completely future-proof, building a process that allows you to have data and sympathize with customers will enable you to achieve long-term success.

Image Source

Featured image: The image is from Adzooma. Used with permission.